Another cougar east of the Mississippi--but not in Alabama

Frank SargeantThis panther was photographed in Florida but several other big cats have been documented in more northern states in recent years.

franksargeant@bellsouth.net

At the risk of starting "cougar mania" all over again in the Huntsville area, we can't ignore the recent report of a documented adult male cougar killed on the highway at Milford, Connecticut on June 11 this year. State biologists have now confirmed via DNA evidence collected from spoors that this was the same cat seen repeatedly in Minnesota and Wisconsin from 2009 to 2010, and that it originated in the Black Hills of South Dakota, again per DNA.

From the Black Hills to Milford is a minimum distance of 1,500 miles.

What's more, this cat was last seen in extreme northern Wisconsin--on the west side of hundred-mile-wide Lake Michigan. To get to Connecticut, it either had to detour south, around hundreds of miles of heavily industrialized country surrounding Chicago and then cross the open farmlands of Indiana and Ohio before reaching the forested mountains of Pennsylvania and beyond, or it had to at some point make a water-crossing of the Great Lakes, most likely in an area like Sault Ste. Marie where the connecting flow is only a few miles wide--then perhaps back across the St. Lawrence River after a long passage through Canada.

Looking at the routes the cat had to take, you almost have to think it hitched a ride on an interstate truck; otherwise, surviving such a journey seems impossible. However the cougar got to Connecticut to meet its fate, the journey represents an incredible migration impulse for a species that generally avoids water. (I mean, I guess he could have walked across the bridge at Sault Ste. Marie, but what did he use for toll booth cash?)

So anyway, if this cat can travel 1500 miles, then it's certainly no stretch to think that a Florida cougar could journey the 700 or so miles into north Alabama forests, or that a cat from the west side of the Mississippi River--where they are popping up all over these days--could cross that flow and make its way through the forests of Mississippi into our state.

That said, the standards of proof remain in place; in states where there are for-sure cougars, there is solid physical evidence; deer kills, scat, clearly recorded tracks, hair--and/or road kills of the cats themselves. Just as with Sasquatch, no physical evidence over an extended period equals no cougar--but of course there's surely no guarantee that these roaming felines are not passing through on their way to where ever it is they hope to arrive.

Enough people have reported cougars in Alabama to make it almost certain that a few have at least been here temporarily, and with the western population growing and expanding steadily, there's little reason to think that the big cats will not follow the same expansion pattern as coyotes, which were extremely rare east of the Mississippi 40 years ago, and are now abundant in nearly every eastern state.

Biologists say "dispersal" or migration by young males is a normal part of cougar behavior as they seek out new territory to avoid the dominant males in their homeland and find females suitable for mating.

The cougar killed in Connecticut was a 140-pound male estimated to be two to five years old.

The last verified cougar in Alabama was killed in St. Clair County over 50 years ago. According to the Cougar Network, which keeps track of cougar sightings nationwide, there have been no biologist-documented sightings of cougars in Alabama, Mississippi or Tennessee in the last 50 years.

This is not to say there are not plenty of photos floating around the internet, including some that clearly show cougars in the woods--though whether these cats are tame, mounted, or even in Alabama remains open to conjecture.

In any case, it's a pretty good bet that if there are no cougars here yet, there will be one day so long as the state maintains the vast woodlands and the outstanding deer populations it has today.

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The Tennessee Valley Hunting and Fishing Expo continues today at Von Braun Center in Huntsville. The first 500 kids through the gates with a paying adult get a free spool of Vicious fishing line. The show features continuous seminars by well-known outdoors TV personalities and a sportsman's marketplace with hundreds of vendors. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., admission $10 for adults, $5 for ages 13-17 and free for 12 and under. For details, visit www.tvhfe.com.